A Great Mulberry but any idea which type it is?

[Herefiggyfiggy]

A Great Mulberry but any idea which type it is? I acquired this from CRFG a few years back and don't recall the variety. It is very good. The interesting thing for this mulberry which seems different than the typical mulberries that I have tried, is that the berry stays very close to the branch with almost no stem making it difficult to remove from the tree without staining your hands. I've attached pictures of the leaves and the berries in case that might help with an ID.

[DrDraconian]

Lucky you. You appear to have a true morus nigra mulberry. Most likely it is Persian, Black Beauty, or Noir de Spain, in order of the varieties that are most common in SoCal. They (and their fruit) are pretty much impossible to tell apart unless you have mature trees side by side to see the small differences in growth habit (and these can be even further confused by placing them on different root stocks).

Rejoice in your good sense in acquiring (even if by accident) the best mulberry type out there, along with the fact that you live in a climate that will allow this tree to grow and flourish. The berries will only improve in size and taste as the tree matures.

BTW, did you acquire this as a cutting at one of the scion exchanges, or as a potted tree? The morus nigra trees are very difficult to root from cutttings, and it is uncommon to find one here in the States that is on its own roots and not grafted onto a known vigorous/hardy root stock.

[Herefiggyfiggy]

DrDraconian Thanks. I acquired it as a potted tree, but it does not seem to be grafted. The berries taste great and most birds haven't found the tree yet!

[DrDraconian]

Interesting. Most growers claim that the morus nigra are slow growers for them, but I find that my trees, which I believe are grafted onto morus alba tatarica root stock, grow vigorously whenever the roots escape from the pots and get into the ground.

[HopeGrowsGardens]

Definitely looks like Morus Nigra, and the season lines up. I got a tree from DrDraconian and am already getting some small berries. She was a pretty good size but completely cut back. The berries are a little tangy like blackberries and very juicy. I am excited to get a large harvest in coming years.

[7seas]

Looks just like my Persian acquired from DrDraconian as well. Everything matches as you described. Great variety, delicious fruit.